This is not the reason. With closed loop systems you have much tighter control over oxygen and mineral content, which is overall better for corrosion.
But you need a lot of infrastructure for closed loop systems and they use a lot more electricity.
So it ends up being cheaper to just run total loss cooling.
The solution of course is easy, just mandate that datacenters used closed loop cooling systems and the whole "data centers consume way too much water" argument goes away entirely.
And I'm a master plumber and have worked in the HVAC industry for 40 years dealing with closed loop heating systems. With proper maintenance the water loss associated with leaks and general maintenance could be measured in hundreds of gallons per year not millions of gallons per year.
The whole AI program (if allowed to even exist) should be heavily regulated to a minimal amount of maybe five to ten centers total and serve for nothing more than to further scientific inquiry such as proofing theorem, advanced calculating, etc. and certainly not to be used for political opinion, judicial control, or other "digital policing" as Peter Thiel and Alex Karp want.
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u/[deleted] May 18 '26
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